Taking a New Name
by ChaserFaNaTic
Summary: Ed is confronted by Truth and it tells him he can have his alchemy back... at the price of his name! When he does so, he decides to join the military and acquire his State Alchemist License again. Being a soldier is great and all, but knowing Ed, will he be able to heed the orders given when duty calls?


Hey guys! I haven't posted anything in a while... Jeez. Well, say hello to my first ever FMA fanfic. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist(鋼の錬金術師). All credit and rights goes to Hiromu Arakawa, Viz Media, Chuang Yi, and Madman Entertainment.**

**Only this story is of orginal work.**

* * *

"What if I told you can have everything you want?"  
Edward Elric found himself in front of Truth once again. Truth was sneering as always.

"What?" replied Ed.

"Whhatt?" mocked Truth. "You heard me. You can have it all back, even your 'gate'."

Edward was standing face to face with "god", "the world", "the one", "perfect being". He was standing in front of Truth and Truth was offering him everything he had lost. Truth was doing this. Truth was doing that. Truth was almost giving him all the lost stuff. _Almost._

"Of course there is a price. But that time when you transmuted your 'gate' I said take everything you wanted. If you want the gate back, there'll be a small fee… a toll if you want to call it that."

For two years, Ed hasn't used any alchemy. This was tempting.

Truth spoke up again. "As a bonus, I'll tell you what I'll take from you. I promise it's pretty small. You'll be surprised."

"What is it? A finger? A toe? My hair?" Ed started to talk back.

"I can be nice when I have to be…" Truth said. He lifted his finger. Immediately, a gate started to materialize behind Ed.

"What is it that you'll take from me if I accept your offer?"

Truth sneered again and said, "… Your name. More specifically, your last name."

Ed thought Truth was joking. What good is a name to the all-powerful?

He started to laugh.  
"Pahaha! You think that's too cheap? I told you I can be nice. But after I take your name, I choose your new one. Fair?"  
"Definitely! I'll take your offer!"

The gate slowly started to open.

"Enjoy your trip, Edward Hohenheim." Truth walked away laughing.

"Wait, HOHENHEIM!? Oh, come o-mmmppph!"

The little tiny shadow arms dragged Edward into the endless vortex of knowledge.

* * *

He woke up in a pile of his own sweat.

"What the hell was that?" Ed got up from his temporary bed in the Rockbell home.

"Oh, Ed! Good you're up!" Pinako was already serving breakfast. She was readying the plates when she accidentally dropped one of them.

It shattered on the ground.

"Oh,damn! Ugh, my age is catching up now."

Ed started to help gather the pieces of the porcelain and said, "Ha ha, don't worry about it Granny. It was bound to happen." Instinctively, he clapped his hands together and channeled the energy into the plates.

There was a large electrical shock that usually came from the reaction of a transmutation. When the dust cleared up, the plate was fixed up and Pinako and Ed were both shocked beyond belief.

Winry came running down the stairs.

"Ed, Granny! What was that!?"  
Ed gulped and looked over to his girlfriend.  
"Win- Winry… I just. I just used-"

"What is it!? Spit it out already!"

"I just used alchemy…"

* * *

"So what now?" Winry slouched over the table in front of Ed, "You gonna go back west?"

"I've done all the travelling I needed to do in the west for two years."

"What are you going to do?" Pinako tapped her pipe while asking the question.

"I'm gonna get my State Alchemist certification again and I'll… I'll join the military."

"Seriously? You can hurt, but you can't kill when you need to."

"I've hardened enough by traveling. I had to kill animals to survive; if I need to do that for you guys and myself survive, I'll do it. Also, as an alchemist, I'll be able to sustain myself. I can't be a burden forever now, can I?"  
"Ed, you can't think of yourself like that! You're like family!" exclaimed Winry.

It was true. After he came back from his travels three months ago, he had nowhere to go except to the Rockbells.

"Well, Al is still in Xing, perfecting the eastern alchemy. Also…," Ed pointed to the plate. It had slight transmutation marks on it. "… I used to be better. What better way to practice than to join a clique of the best?"

"… Be safe, Ed." Winry sighed.

Ed promptly began to pack his bags and when he was finished, he stepped out and made his way to the train station. As he was about to board, Winry came up behind him screaming  
"Waitt! I'm coming, too!"

"Winry!?"

"Hey, big boy!" She started to giggle.

* * *

Ed sighed and said, "Why did you come? What about Granny?"

"She said I could come. Also, we're _kinda' _in a relationship; we've _kinda' _been separated for two years. I figured that we spend time together. Just _maybe._" She was a little miffed.

He reddened at the cheeks and looked out the window of the train.

Winry dozed off in the first hour and Ed stayed awake just looking at her, thinking.

"_Why did Truth just decide to give me everything back? And the price is my name? Also, do we even have the money right now? I know for a fact that I only have some small change to grab a bite to eat for myself."_

Ed could see Central nearing.

"Hey, Winry, wake up. We're almost here."

Drowsily, the girl slowly woke up to stare blankly at him.

The train slowly came to a halt.

"Say Winry, do you have any money?"

She froze.

"C-Crap."

"Come on… I was planning to visit everyone here. Let's see if you can stay with one of them."

* * *

They approached Lieutenant Hawkeye's door. Ed knocked. They heard a deep barking from behind the door. Hawkeye opened the door.

"Yes?"

"Hey, Lieutenant!"

"Ed! What a nice surprise! And Winry!"

The three of them went back inside and Riza served them tea.

"By the way, Ed, it's Colonel Hawkeye now."

"Wow ! You climbed three ranks in three years?"

"Yes, it's been a while ride. So why are you here, Edward Elric?"

Ed told her the story of his dreams and Resembool. He told her about how he was going to enlist and get his state certification.

Riza took it all in and nodded. She turned to Winry and said, "What about you, Winry?"

"Oh, I decided to start living with Ed now!"

"Hmm? I see; how long have you guys been going steady?"  
"Almost two years!" Winry exclaimed.

"But I didn't see her up until three months ago when I came back from my travels."

"So do you have any place to stay as of now?" asked Hawkeye.

"Erm, well Lieutenant… I was wondering if she could stay with you for a little bit. Testing is a few days from now and I only have a few cenz of pocket change."

"Typical Edward. Not thinking everything through…," Riza smirked. "She can stay with me, of course. Don't worry."

Edward laughed dryly, "Thanks a lot Lieu- er, Colonel."

Edward said his goodbyes and went to the Central Headquarters.

He went up to the receptionist and stated, "I'd like to seek an audience with Roy Mustang. Just tell him that Fullmetal is here."

Promptly the receptionist turned back to Ed and stated, "I'm sorry, General Mustang stated, 'I don't want to see puny runts like him again.',"

"WHAT!?"

She paused and turned to the phone again.

"Wait, he says he was joking. You may go see him now."

* * *

Edward knocked on the door.  
"Come in," He entered "Oh, hey Fullmetal!"

"Don't call me that anymore."  
"Oh? Then what should I call you? Runt? Puny? Why don't you tell me, Edward Elric?"  
"You can't call me Edward E-"

Ed was unable to finish his former last name. He still remembered it clearly, but it was like that word was just completely erased from his mind at the same time. He couldn't audibly see it, but he could think it.

"Can't say your own name?" scoffed the General.

"It's not that! It's…"

Mustang heard from him the story in which Ed traded his name for his 'gate' back.

"So Truth gave you the name 'Hohenheim'… What a sly bastard he is."

"Ain't that the truth." Ed walked over to the couch in Roy's office.  
"So, a four star general, eh? Looks like someone's next in line for Führer President. How'd Major General Armstrong react when you got a higher rank than her?"

"She was pretty pissed." He blew out air from his nose. Mustang leaned back in his chair and said,

"But the position of President is far off. Grumman is old, but he's got a good decade and a half left in him. So why are you here?"

"I'm gonna be blunt. I want my State Alchemist license back and I want to join the military."

"Well, you're in luck. Testing is this weekend and Grumman and I will be there to evaluate. I'll talk Grumman into putting you into the group. Now about the latter; this'll be interesting."

"I look forward to it, _General_." Ed got up to leave.

"Hey, Ed?"

"What?"

"You got anywhere to stay?"

"… I'll figure something out. See ya'."

The General smirked, "It's good to have you back, Ed."

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

Ed stood next to two larger men who were wearing military uniforms. With the marks on their gloves, he could tell they were alchemists.

Grumman and Mustang along with some military policemen came out to evaluate.

"You have 15 minutes each to show what you are capable of with your alchemic abilities. Far left starts first," one of the military police men said.

This would mean that Ed would go last.

The first man walked up. He lifted his hands and the circles started to shine. All of a sudden, ice and water started to accumulate around in front of him and he sent the icicles and water spiraling up with the ice rotating around the water spiral. It came to a sudden stop and froze into ice, then into snow, then back into air. He had separated the moisture from the air and changed its properties. Then, when it froze, he changed its properties again and made the water particles pack together with dust. For the finale, he vaporized it back into air and gas.

"Time. Good work. Next."

The second alchemist transmuted the air around it and with it, he reduced air resistance. Like a bolt of lightning, he started running up the walls and ceiling and top speed and dropped from there. He softly cushioned his landing with another pad of air. Not as flashy as the first, but still, impressive nonetheless.

"Time. Good work. Next."

Ed took a step forward and he could hear one of the men snickering. Ed clapped his hands together and placed them down to transmute. A rock spike went up at the man who was laughing at him. Seeing this as an act of aggression, the MP's raised their handguns. He reacted quickly by creating arms out of the ground with the rock and crippling their arms. Ed made a run towards the President while transmuting a spear and lunged at him. Grumman stayed still and Ed stopped right at the tip of his nose. Mustang had clapped his hands and was about to snap at him with his flame alchemy. Grumman had a straight face the whole time.

Ed grinned and said, "Looks like you guys stepped up the defense ever since the last time I've been tested."

He reverted everything back to normal and the policemen raised their guns again.

Grumman raised his hand signaling them to put them down.

"Very impressive, all of you. Stay in the briefing room until the results are out." Grumman turned around and walked away.

Mustang could see the fire in Ed's eyes rekindle once again as he walked out as well.

* * *

In the room where they were waiting, one of the people that was there asked Ed, "How'd you transmute without a circle? Better yet, how did you do it so quickly?"  
"Well, let's say I have my ways."

A few hours later, one of the military policemen walked in the room.  
"May I have your attention, please!? President Grumman and General Mustang would like to see Edward Hohenheim!"

The two others walked out disappointed escorted by the other MP. Ed grabbed one by the shoulder and said, "Don't stop. Keep trying! Your air alchemy was really cool! This isn't my first time I had to test either!"

"When did you first test?"

Ed grinned, "When I was fifteen!"

The look of shock on his face was the last thing he saw before he walked out.

Ed was in front of two of the most powerful people in the country. Before them, there was a form, a pen, and a silver pocket watch.

"I hereby declare Edward Hohenheim a state alchemist. The second name given is the 'Reborn Alchemist', but due to special circumstances, 'Fullmetal Alchemist' is also your name. Now you accept the fact you will be called on when the army needs you? I'm also aware that you are enlisting as well." Grumman looked at him with his sharp eyes.

"Yes, sir."

"Ho, ho, ho~~~ Well then, I guess having that extra uniform with us right now is convenient. Sign here." The Führer gave him the clipboard and the form, along with the pen. Ed signed.

Mustang stood up saluted. "Well, then. Welcome to the military, Major Edward Hohenheim."

"It's an honor, General." said Edward, saluting, with his usual, unnerving grin.

* * *

Welp, that's that. I hoped you enjoyed. It took a while to think of this. I always thought what it would be like if Ed legitimately joined the military! I, being the wonderful author I am, will update this as diligently as possible.

Leaving a bit of criticism will always help~~

Well, that's that. Ciao till the next chapter!


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